Knife-sharpener.



SERAFIMIDIS.

KNIFE SHARPENER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22. 1915.

#45 ATTORNEY 3 SHEETS-SHEET I Patented Apr. 4,1916.

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KNIFE SHARPENER.

APPLICATION FILD JUNE 22, I915.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

JOAKIM SERAFIMIDIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

I KNIFE-SHARPENEB.

Application filed June 22, 1915. Serial No. 35,551.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OAKIM SERAFIMIDIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knife-Sharpeners, of which the following-is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for producing a keen cutting edge on straight bladed reciprocatively operated knives, and particularly in connection with the knives used in cloth cutting machines.

6 One of the objects is to provide a sharpener having a plurality of abrasive elements whereby the sharpening operation is performed expeditiously and positively. without manual labor on part of all-operator.

Another object is to provide a device that may be permanently attached to a cloth cutting machine and moved into or out of operative engagement with the blade as may be desired, the attachment in no wise interfering with the usual functions of the machine.

A further object is to so arrange the sharpening elements as to produce a shearmachine,

ing effect diagonally of the blade, upon both sides coincidentall and not a mere rolling action.

These objects are attained by the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a general front elevation of a cloth cutting machine having thesharpener shown as an attachment, the same being in an inoperative position. Fig. 2 larged horizontal sectional and taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

partial front view of plan view Fig. 3 is a the lower part of the taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing the sharpeners in operative position. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional viewtaken on line' 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. '5 is a fragmental sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a front view showing a portion of the roller carrying frame, looking from the contact making side and having parts shown in section to display the construction. Fig. 7 is an interior view of the frame and one roller, parts being in section and the view taken as indicated by the 'line 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a side view of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view Specification of Letters Patent.

view of the roller is an enconstitute any Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

of the knife and its guide. Fig. 10 is a fragmental side view of the same. Fig. 11 is fragmentary front view, similar to Fig. 6 but showing a modified form of frame and roller mountings. Fig. 12 is a cross sectional frame and its supports, taken near the upper end thereof. Fig. 13 is a partial front view of the same. Fig. 14 is a similar view to that of Fig. 12 but taken on line 14-14 of Fig. 3. Fig. 15 is a partial front and sectional view'taken on a line indicated by 15-15 of Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is fragmental sectional view of a detail used in construction, the view being taken on line 16-16 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 17 is an interior side view of the same.

While the knife sharpener shown is particularly. designed with reference to a cloth cutting machine, as indicated by the view in Fig. 1, it will be clearly obvious that adapta tions may be used with any form of reciprocating flat blade whatever.

In the machine shown the reci rocating knife 20, made preferably with a ely serrated edge 21, and' guided in a fixed support 22 at its backand sides, may be actuated by any of the common devlces usually employed for this purpose, the driving connection 23 being at the upper end of the blade, at the bottom of which is a beveled cutting edge adapted to pass through the slotted guide 24 set in the base 25 of the machine. From this base rises a rigid standard 26 carrying the driving mechanism (not shown) and having at the front the usual presser-foot 27 attached to the rack bar 28 capable of vertical adjustment and' carried on a swing arm 29, pivoted by the removable pin 30 to a bracket .31 rigid with the standard 26. Thus the presser foot and its support can be swung to one side of the machine when desired, or removed bodily from it.

The foregoing is briefly descriptive of a common form of cloth cutting machine to which the sharpener is applied and does not On the same side of this main standard 26 as the pivot 30, is a rigidly secured bracket 35 having pivoted to it a swing arm 36, the outer end of which is broadened into a leaf 37 to which is removably engaged by the screw 38 a bent arm 39, its opposite end terminating in a hinge 40, the other member 41 of which is secured to the side at one end of the abrading roller carrying casing in such manner that the casing may be reversed part of the present invention.

or turned upside down, in which position it may be swung to one side by reason of the pivoted arms 36 and 39. When in upper position and to one side, the front of the knife is entirely clear, permitting the presserfoot to be swung into operative pos1t1on, and

the machine used in its common performance.

If it be desired to sharpen the knife edge the resser-foot is swung to one side or entirely removed from the machine, the roller frame brought to the front and turned down as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 12 and 14.

On the side of the frame opposite the hinge is 'a. rearwardly extending pivoted form 42, having a hook end 43 adapted to engage with a catch-plate 44 carried in the bracket 45 and pressed rearwardly by the springs'46, the arrangement being such that their tension is exerted to draw the frame in the direction of the knife edge 21.

' The abrading elements are in the form of emery rollers 50 rigidly mounted on axial shafts 51 one end of which is engaged with a sphere or ball 52 while the other end of the shaft extends slidably through a similar ball 53. Both of these balls are rotatably mounted in blocks 54 through the projecting end members of which pass guide pins 55 securing the blocks respectively in the front bars 56 and rear plate 57 of the roller-casing,-

the same being connected by side plates 58,

- into a rectangular box-like structure open on the side adjacent to the knife between the bars 56 and provlded with a cover plate 59 at the outer or front side.

In order to provide a proper pressure of the abrading rollers against the blade of the knife, springs 60 are inserted between the base of the blocks 54 and the walls of the openings in the plates which carry them, the springs encircling the pins 55 which maintain them in position.

While three pairs of rollers are indicated it will be understood that a greater or lesser number may be used according to conditions; it is to be noted however that each pair of rollers rotate on parallel axes but that the axes of the rollers on one side of the frame are disposed at an opposite angle to that of the mating rollers, and furthermore, that the degree of angularity can be increased or diminished by adjusting the relative height of the front and back plates, the side plates 58 being slotted for that purpose and provided with the clamp screws 61 to hold them in position. Provision is also made to limit the positions of the blocks by the set screws 62, set to oppose the thrust of the springs 60, thereby compensating for wear of the rollers.

- In the front member of the base 25 are two small openings receptive of the pins 63 aflixed in the bottom of the lower casing guide frame 65 in such manner that when formed in the upper frame 41-, which may also be secured to the knife guide 22 by means-of set screws 69.

In the front member 70 of the I upper frame 41 is a fine pitched screw 71 held in 7 position to turn freelyby the pin 72, the

threaded portion engaging with the casing in such manner as to press it forward against the knife or withdraw ittherefrom. A similar screw 7 3 is secured by the pin 74 in the front member 7 5 of the. frame 65, the same being threaded into the lower part of the casing so that the rollers may be ad vanced or retracted uniformly or one end may be moved in advance of the other as may be preferred.

In order to facilitate construction the bearing blocks 54 are not carried directly in the casing but'in plates secured thereto by means of screws 81.

In the modification shown in Fig. 11 the ent planes, and pressed toward each other by the push springs 87 acting between them and the casing sides. These blocks are provided particularly for the cutting end of the knife as it passes through the open slot in the plate 24. In place of blocks, rollers may be mounted to operate ina similar manner if it be preferred.

It will be noticed throughout that adjustments have been provided and that the abraders are spring constrained and not rigidly held, therefore no damage can be caused the thinnest blade, although a keen cutting edge is rapidly produced.

In operation, when it is desiredto sharpen the knife blade, the attachment-is swung to I the blade and means for tensionally adcontact with the blade, one of each pair being on opposite sides and so disposed as to produce a grinding effect as the knife is passed reciprocatively between them.

Having thus described this invention and the manner of its application and use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In a sharpener, pairs ofoppositely disposed abrading rollers arranged one above another, spherical bearings at the ends of rollers, means for changing the axial angularitv of said rollers, means for tensionally pressing oppositely disposed rollers toward each other and means pressing the paired rollers against a blade to be sharpened.

2. In a reciprocating knife sharpener, the combination with the base and standard of the knife support, of a frame hinged to said standard in such manner as to be reversible thereupon, means whereby said frame may be moved into or out of operative position with the knife, a plurality of angularly disposed abrading rollers on each side of justing said rollers with respect to the knife.

3. In combination with a standard, a base, a vertical reciprocating knife and a driving means therefor, of a casing, abrading elements carried therein, means whereby said casing may be moved in a vertical plane to or from said knife, means whereby the casing may be moved in a horizontal plane, means for engagin said casing wit-h said base, an arm pivote at the upper end of said casing means combined with said arm whereby said cutter is drawn toward said knife and means for adjusting the tension of said abrading elements with respect to said knife.-

4:. In combination with a standard, a vertical reciprocating knife and a driving means therefor, of a bracket rigid with said standard, a framepivotally supported by said bracket, a series of abrading rollers mounted in one side of said frame, their axes being at an angle thereto; a second series of similar rollers in the other side of said frame, their axes being disposed at an, opposite angle to that of the first named rollers, flexible mountings for all of said rollers, and means for causing the respective series of rollers to make contact on opposite sides of said knife simultaneously.

5. In a knife sharpener, a pair of cylindrical abrading rollers disposed crosswise one over the other, means for pressing said rollers laterally against a knife presented at the point of intersection of said rollers and means for feeding said rollers against the edge of the knife.

6. In a knife sharpener, the combination with means for reciprocating a knife blade and a carrier adapted to move toward the edge thereof, of a plurality of paired abrasive rollers mounted in said carrier the rollers in each pair crossing transversely in front of the edge of said knife, means for pressing each roller independently toward said knife andmeans for pressing all of said rollers collectively against the cutting edge of said knife. V

7. In a knife sharpener, oppositely disposed abrading rollers arranged in pairs, one over the other, spindles upon which said rollers are moiuited, spherical bearings at the ends of said spindles, means for changing the angularity of said spindles with relation to one to another, means for pressing the rollers toward a. median line in which the knife blade travels, and a pair of abrading blocks set to make contact with the extreme lower end of the knife.

8. In a knife sharpener, a frame having a vertically reciprocating knife mounted therein and a driving means therefor, of a casing hinged to said frame, adapted to seing into the path of the knife, a plurality of abrading rollers mounted in said casing tangentially to the edge of the knife and at different angles thereto, means for pressing said rollers against the knife, and abrading elements held in said casing in different planes adapted to make contact with the end of the knife at each reciprocation thereof.

J OAKIM SERAFIMIDIS. 

